Painting The Light: June 2009

I'm still constructing the blog as my time permits ( I'm busy painting!) But, here are some of my recent works.....you can click on any to view the details

Nancy
Pastel 9x12

This is a portrait of my sister. She kindly agreed to pose for me so I could get some photos of a seated figure, but I ended up using them to do her portrait instead. I used this as an exercise in being more free and loose with the color and light, using orange, red, blue, green and purple in the skin colors and really concentrating on how the light falls. I finished it in one day and I'm really pleased with the results. Click on it to see larger details.

Joyce Margie
9x12, pastel

This little girl sat still just long enough for me to snap a photo. I was enthralled with her big blue eyes and all the freckles. She is a little bit of a tomboy and I think I captured that.

Brandon
9x12, pastel

This is a friend's grandchild, gazing at his new pet fish.

The Reader
18x24, pastel
This is a portrait of my son, the poet. This pose really captures him since he is also a writer and a voracious reader. I snapped a photo when he was visiting. This is the first portrait I have ever done with pastels. It's done on velour board, which I love working with.

The Final Turn
10x16
pastel
I saw a photo on a blog the day of the Kentucky Derby. I don't know why, but it moved me to paint a picture of it. I had never painted or drawn a horse...and I finished it in 2 days. There is something about this painting that you can almost hear and feel the galloping hooves as they round the bend. I'm having this made into a print since so many have asked.